As
one drives around the neighbourhoods of
Valley
East, and in particular, Ward 6, it
becomes quickly apparent that most of our playgrounds are in need of attention.
Old timers like myself will recall the time when playgrounds were actually
like little “community
centers” for neighbourhoods.
During the summer there were programs for
the children. During the winter, the clubhouse was open every day, all
day, and the rinks were well maintained.
Those were the days when public
funding for recreation programs was readily available. Not only did the
municipal employees maintain the grounds, but the facilities and equipment
was something that you could be proud of.
Indeed,
even staffing of the
playgrounds was guaranteed.
Today,
neighbourhood playground associations are struggling in an uphill battle
to build any kind of community spirit. Admittedly, there is a problem
finding volunteers willing to put in the hours to operate these facilities
and programs.
However, the question to be asked is, “Should residents be
responsible for local playgrounds, or should this be something that you
receive for your tax dollars?”
I
am of the opinion that a well-maintained, well-equipped, fully-staffed
playground is a service that should be provided by the municipality for
the local residents. An annual budget of $50,000 per playground would go a
long way to providing each neighbourhood with an attractive, safe
recreational facility that they can walk to with their children. Keeping
the grass cut, the rink boards up, the basketball nets in good shape, and
the clubhouse painted and clean would make the playground the
"jewel" of the neighbourhood - not the eyesore or hangout.
City
Councillors may be approving the spending of up to $250,000 to hire a
consultant to prepare a feasibility study on the construction of a major
convention center that may then cost millions of dollars of tax dollars to
develop.
While there is no question about the positive impact a major
facility such as this can have on the entire Greater Sudbury Area, one can
only imagine what our communities would be like if each playground in the
area received a budget of $50,000 a year to cover the cost of staffing,
equipment and maintenance.
Imagine how it would look to outsiders to take
a tour around the region and see vibrant, well-maintained, well-equipped
playgrounds in every major subdivision. One can only imagine.
During
this election period, it is expected that there will be a lot of
discussion about the state of our recreation facilities. Instead of
spending millions of dollars building one huge facility, many taxpayers
would like to see the money spread around to the local playgrounds.
If
I am elected to represent Ward 6 - Hanmer and Val Therese, I will be doing
everything I can to make sure that our playgrounds get the funding
necessary to turn them into "community centres". We have the
money. We just have to establish the right priorities.
In
the meantime, go to the following link and take a tour of the playground
facilities as they now exist in Ward 6 - Hanmer & Val Therese. Just
imagine what $50,000 per year and full-time supervision could do to
these neighbourhood centres:
Valley
East skate board enthusiasts have had use of a great facility at the
St. Joseph's Park located just beside the Lion's Den in Hanmer. The
skateboard park has been up for a number of years and each day you
can find boarders of all ages visiting the site.
There
is a serious issue here with respect to liability if a young person
suffers a serious head injury. The City of Greater Sudbury has
provided most of the funding for the park and it is apparently on
City owned land. What is hard to understand is why City staff are
satisfied that their obligations are being met by posting warning
signs around the facility. A civil suit would be a hard charge to
defend against in a court of law since the City is largely
responsible for setting up a dangerous situation in the first place.
The
playground equipment near the skateboard park in Hanmer, shown in
the photo to the right, has also been defaced with paint.
While it is extremely difficult to be everywhere at once, City staff
must be vigilant when it comes to graffiti and vandalism. The only
thing to do is repaint or clean up the site or it will just get
worse. Graffiti always generates more graffiti. Litter always
generates more litter.
Some
say education is the answer and are attempting to put together a
program designed to meet with young people to explain the benefits
of wearing protective gear when skateboarding and the responsibility
that children must assume in order to properly use these facilities.
Talking to kids is commendable, however, it is suggested that the
only sure way to cut down on vandalism and terrorism of young
children is with better supervision of the parks. It may mean having
to hire a caretaker or supervisor to work two different shifts. If
that is the only solution, then so be it. One thing is for sure.
People in Valley East and hopefully the rest of Sudbury are going to
begin to put pressure on Council to either close these eyesores, or
provide proper protection. Closing the facilities is not an option
that will be acceptable to local residents. Therefore, the solution
seems pretty obvious.
